An Ethical Global Information Society

Abstract

For the information technology industry, there is considerable potential in developing information and communication technologies that can enhance the lives of people with a disability (who number over 500 million worldwide). Information and communication technologies can offer many different and creative solutions to the needs of persons with a disability: they can enable increased social citizenship, culture, democracy, and equality of access. But the kinds of technologies that are useful to people with a disability are also of use to society as a whole. Designing for all kinds of people, whether able-bodied or disabled, is simply good design. To create this change in perception, we need to work with positive images of disabled people and to influence the attitudes of computer scientists, systems designers and developers, and information and communications specialists. Where does the International Federation for Information Processing fit in to such an approach? As an international federation of professional computing associations, it can take many constructive and progressive actions. Among these, it can promote the best practice of a few computer societies; it can extend its own position on equality of access; it can help in changing perceptions; it can act as a facilitator for consumers’ needs; it can lead the world community in terms of IT values; and it can act as a watchdog, creating awareness of the social implications of information and communication technologies for the use of all people, including people with a disability. It is in this latter area particularly that potential, future directions for IFIP’s Technical Committee 9 lie. It is here that the paper places its emphasis.